Tag: chilling

The pace this weekend was slower – much appreciated – and allowed me to catch my breath and prepare for Week 2.

The lobby of my hotel is decked out for Halloween. This place has a terrific fitness center and I spent yesterday morning on the treadmill watching reruns of the Colbert Show.

But let’s back up to Saturday. The Denver airport was horrific, even though I arrived there at 4:30am. The check-in counter at United was swamped and the shift change at security that was supposed to open up all the security lines was delayed. As a result, I barely made my 6am flight. But I made it, and that’s all that counts.

Saturday was low-key, with one stock signing and the Bookstall signing. My old neighbor and friend Ann Ackerson, who lived next to us back in our Horsham, PA days, came out to see me – that was delightful. The rest of the day was spent on email and thank-you notes and some writing stuff, not what I wanted to do, but the right and necessary thing to do.

Yesterday was even better. After my treadmill time (heavenly), I showered and got ready for the afternoon’s gig at National Louis University. My friend Junko Yokota, a professor of Reading, Language, and Children’s Literature at NLU, had arranged for me to speak to a group of teachers and librarians.

It was Sunday. The Chicago Bears weren’t playing, but teachers and librarians work hard and honestly, I didn’t think many of them would give up a Sunday to hear me speak. I figured maybe 5 or 6 would come out, and we’d have tea and a nice intimate chit-chat, and that would be that.

More than 80 people came out to hear me. One teacher, a ninth-grade English teacher named Grant, drove up from Iowa!

And a local teacher, I think they called him Mr. A, brought a group of students to the event. I was assured they were getting extra credit for this. I sure hope so!

So it turned out to be a terrific afternoon spent talking with interesting and compassionate teachers and librarians. And a few students.

After all the books were signed and the teachers had gone home (sure hope that Grant made it back to Iowa safely), Junko took me out for a quick taste of culture.

Lots of schools and interviews today. If you are trying to find me, come to the B&N around noon, or better yet, go to Naperville for my Anderson’s gig on Wednesday.

TODAY’S EVENT: Monday, October 27: Barnes & Noble, Skokie, not a public presentation event, but I’ll be there signing stock around noontime 847-676-2230. NOTE I’ll be back in the area speaking at Anderson’s Books in Naperville on Wednesday night!

TOMORROW’S EVENT: Tuesday, October 28 at 7:00 pm: Omaha Public Library, Omaha, NE. An all-city event in Centennial Hall at the Alumni House on the UNO Campus, 6705 Dodge St. 402-444-4800